Wine Tasting – First Light Moscato

Name: N.V. Thorn-Clarke First Light Moscato

Variety: 100% Muscat

Region: Barossa Valley, South Australia

Country: Australia

Year: n/a

Price: $15 à $7.95

Winery Review: Ripe lychee, tropical fruits and musk on the nose as you near the glass. Lovely grape and stone fruits and on the palate is highlighted with the subtle sweetness and spritz that makes this such a fun drink. Low in alcohol and nicely balanced acidity ensure you will want more than one glass of this easy drinking wine.

My Review: This Moscato was crisp, clean and refreshing. On the nose, I got aromas of lychee, under-ripe peaches and papaya. The bubbly aspect of this wine added to the refreshing quality.  On the palate, this wine had a wonderfully peachy, plumy and green grapey profile. This would be a perfect wine to take to the beach and enjoy.

With food?: I did not taste this wine with food.

Wine Tasting – CalNaturale Cabernet Sauvignon

Name: CalNaturale Cabernet Sauvignon Paso Robles 2009

Variety: 95% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Viognier

Region: Paso Robles, California

Country: USA

Year: 2009

Price: $16 à 10.95 (1 L) or $5.95 (500 mL)

Winery Review: 95% Cabernet Sauvignon with 5% Viognier this certified organic winery produces outstanding quality at reasonable prices offering classic Cabernet flavors of fresh herb, olive, cedar and cassis. Focused and intense, with a charming rustic side and broad tannins that firm up on the finish.

My Review: This wine had a lovely deep, dark ruddy purple color. Immediately on the nose, I got a nose-full of herbs and grass. This paired with sweet raspberries, dirt and grenadine made for a wonderfully earthy wine. I could definitely taste rosemary, sage, green olives and crushed oregano on the mid-palate. This wine ended long and tannic.

With food?: I didn’t have any food with this wine, but when I tasted it, I immediately wanted an herby focaccia flatbread.

Wine Tasting – Georges Duboeuf Beaujolais Nouveau

Name: Georges Duboeuf Beaujolais Nouveau

Variety: 100% Gamay

Region: Beaujolais, France (just south of Burgundy)

Country: France

Year: 2013

Price: $15 à $7.95

Winery Review: An aromatic red, with floral and white peach notes accenting the black raspberry and plum flavors. This is open-knit and fresh, offering light tannins on the finish. – Wine Spectator

My Review: This red wine was a surprise! The beautiful ruby red of this wine was complimented by the effervescent nose. The aroma of this wine was reminiscent of a strawberry-banana milkshake. I got hints of peach, pear, apricot, raspberry, strawberry and banana on the palate. This was a very fruity red, almost tropical. The young grapes in this wine seemed hyper, almost bouncing flavor off the walls of my mouth. This wine finished pleasantly tannic and acidic. I enjoyed this one.

With food?: I tasted this wine without food.

Wine Tasting – Beltrame Friulano

Name: Beltrame Friulano 2009

Variety: 100% Tocai Friulano (Sauvignon Vert)

Region: Friuli, Italy

Country: Italy

Year:  2009

Price: $15 à$9.95

Winery Review: 100% Tocai Friulano Straw-coloured yellow with a pale green tint express an intense, delicately aromatic and floral bouquet. The flavor is dry, soft, slightly fruity, with slightly bitter nuance in its almond aftertaste, and suggestion of peach

My Review: The beautiful straw color of this wine spoke of its body. This wine had a wonderful floral nose, as if I was walking through a garden full of roses, violets and grass. The initial hit on the palate was slightly bitter, like sucking on a lemon wedge. The mid-palate of this wine softened the initial taste with hints of apricot and honey-suckle. The finish of this wine

is easy with a bit of nut and peach.

With food?: I tried this wine without food.

Wine Tasting – Mas Llunes Maragda Granacha Blanco

Name: Mas Llunes Maragda Granacha Blanco Emporda 2011

Variety: 100% White Grenache

Region: Emporda, Catalonia, Spain

Country: Spain

Year: 2011

Price: $16 à $9.95

Winery Review: This Grenache Blanc is exquisitely sculpted with sharp acids and pinpointed minerals, and offers orange, melon, and vanilla-honey flavors. A delight to drink, at a great price.

My Review: This wine was a beautiful pale, almost colorless white wine. On the nose, this wine has a very obvious green apple profile with hints of lime and lemon peel. On the palate, this wine had an incredible acidic quality to it which was tempered with a honey texture and taste on the mid-palate. The apple taste was still obvious in the finish, but it didn’t linger. This wine was crisp, clean and pleasantly dry.

With food?: I did not have any food with this wine, however, I would love this with fish and chips or other seafood dishes.

Wine Tasting – Sonnenband Moscato Magnum

Name: Sonnenband Moscato Imported (in Magnum)

Variety: 100% Muscat

Region:  Mosel, Germany

Country: Germany

Year: 2011

Price: $20 à $9.95

Winery Review: This wine is intricate with the delicate perfumes of white flower blossoms, profound tropical fruit sweetness, and energized by citrus nectars. (this review is actually from the 2011 Besitos Moscato).

My Review: This wine smelled SUPER SWEET. Sickly sweet. This wine had a super floral quality to it, like sugared flowers. I was able to get a hint of tropical fruits—papaya and mango. The citrus profile was subdued by a slight honey flavor. This wine is incredibly well-integrated and balanced. The lingering end adds to the full-bodied texture and finish of this wine.

With food?: I tried this wine on its own without food.

Wine Tasting – Neu Direction Cabernet Sauvignon

Name: 2010 Neu Direction Cabernet Sauvignon

Variety: 100% Cabernet Sauvignon

Region: Mendoza, Argentina

Country: Argentina

Year: 2010

Price: $15 à $7.95

Winery Review: This Cabernet Sauvignon shows very good purity of fruit and skillful winemaking. This wine is full of black-fruit aromas, depth and style. The palate pushes ripe plum and berry fruit along with chocolate, and the finish is chewy and correct in terms of tannins and structure.

My Review: This wine is surprising. Immediately, the aromas of fragrant black currants and dark chocolate and gogi berries come through. This wine has a smoky, dusty quality to it. I am able to taste a hint of canned green beans. The creamy mouthfeel makes this wine seem as if it has been aged in oak.

With food?: I tasted this wine without food.

Wine Tasting – Champteloup Pinot Noir

Name: Château de Champteloup Val de Loire Selection Pinot Noir

Variety: 100% Pinot Noir

Region: Touraine, Loire Valley

Country: France

Year: 2011

Price: $15 à $7.95

Winery Review: In the heart of France’s Loire River Valley lies the Touraine wine region. Although it produces vast amounts of well-priced, fresh, mostly white wines, lovely reds like this are broadening Touraine’s appeal. This wine may seem familiar to you. It is a sibling of the Touraine Sauvigno

n Blanc we’ve offered for years. Serge de Bucy employs a light touch in his winemaking, using no wood and doing as possible to preserve freshness. Bright cherry and strawberry fruits are followed by a soft, smooth palate.

My Review: This light red wine is casual and sophisticated. No wood was used to age this wine, but this wine possesses some of the qualities of oak-aged wines.  I can taste a hint of fresh cut wood and smoky leather. There is a distinct black cherry flavor and some darker plums. For a lighter-bodied red, I find this wine complex.

With food?: I tasted this wine on its own without food.

Wine Tasting – Baumann Gentil ClassiQ 2012

Name: Baumann Riquewihr Gentil ClassiQ 2012

Variety: Riesling, Pinot Blanc, Muscat, Gewürztraminer, and Pinot Gris

Region: Alsace, France

Country: France

Year: 2012

Price: $17 à $9.95

Winery Review: A delicious and fresh blend of Riesling, Pinot Blanc, Muscat, Gewürztraminer, and Pinot Gris. Light aromas of fresh fruit and delicate white flowers start your journey, followed by crisp flavors of stone and citrus fruit. A well balanced acidity on the dry finish ends this French blend beautifully.

My Review: This wine has a bright, light straw-colored quality to it in the glass and bottle. Even without swirling the wine in the glass, I was overwhelmed by the Fruit Loop aroma wafting from the wine’s surface. I loved this quality and was surprised when this wine was rather dry on my palate. I found the combination of rose, thyme and ripe peaches very complex in this wine. The finish is crisp and clean with a slight salty quality.

With food?: I tried this wine on its own without food.

Wine Tasting – Fattori Runcaris Soave 2010

Name: Fattori Runcaris Soave Classico 2010

Variety: 100% Garganega

Region: Soave, Veneto, Italy

Country: Italy

Year: 2010

Price: $15 à $7.95

Winery Review: From the local Italian word for “to work the soil,” Runcaris represents an easy, fresh expression of Soave Classico with lingering aromas of citrus, yellow rose, honey, jasmine and dried herbs. – 86 points – Wine Enthusiast

My Review: To be honest, I am not a huge fan. I found this wine chemical-smelling. I got hints of pineapple and clementine in the flavor, but this was accompanied by a chalky flavor. The finish of this wine lingers a bit, focusing on the citrus flavors.

With food?: I tasted this wine without food.

Wine Tasting—Terre Rouge Enigma

Name:  2009 Terre Rouge Enigma

Variety: 44% Marsanne, 29% Viognier & 27% Roussanne

Region: El Dorado County, California

Country: USA

Year: 2009

Price: $32.00 à $19.95

Winery Review: Marsanne, Viognier & Roussanne. Aromas suggest wildflower honey and acacia blossom with hints of tangerine and papaya. Flavors are creamy with peach, apple, and quince sensations competing for your taste buds. The finish is crisp with classic white Rhône stone (peach) fruit pit flavors intermingled with mineral tones from this rocky site. Enjoyable young, the wine also gains great complexity with bottle age.

My Review: I LOVED THIS WINE. This wine has a slightly woody fragrance with a slight bite. The smooth, almost creamy texture of this wine indicates that it was oaked for a short amount of time. I definitely tasted the papaya and peach fruits. The crisp finish made me want a full glass of the wine.

With food?: I tried this wine on its own without food.

Wine Tasting—GR-174 Casa Gran del Siurana Priorat 2011

Name: GR-174 Casa Gran del Siurana Priorat

Variety: 40% Garnatxa, %30% Caranyena, 30% Cabernet Sauvignon

Region: Tarragona Region (Bellmunt del Priorat)

Country: Spain

Year: 2011

Price: $17.95

Winery Review: the 2011 GR-174 was tasted from barrel and was due for bottling the following week. It has a more extravagant bouquet than the 2010 with kirsch, blood orange and blueberry. The palate is full-bodied with a sweet entry. It is very extravagant with precocious red fruits and a smudge of alcohol towards the finish. It is a bit of a hedonist, but one that comes at a decent price. Drink now-2016. –89—Robert Parker

My Review: I definitely tasted blueberry in this wine. The aroma was subtly acidic. The flavor was decadent and full. There is a slight kick toward the finish that was slightly alcoholic. Perhaps it can be characterized as a brandy finish: strong and lingering.

With food?: I had this wine on its own, without food

Wine Tasting— Trentadue Old Patch Red Lot 36 2011

Name: Trentadue Old Patch Red Lot 36 2011

Variety:  85% Zinfindel and 15% Petite Syrah

Region: Tehama County, California

Country: USA

Year: 2011

Price: $13.95

Winery Review: This field-style blend of petite Sirah and Zinfandel is super-jammy, with jellied flavors of raspberries, cherries, blueberries, blackberries and loganberries. It’s a fun, fairly complicated wine that finishes dry and tannic. –86—Wine Enthusiast

My Review: I enjoyed this wine! The review given is accurate. This wine is definitely jammy. This wine had that sort-of sickly sweet smell of jam or preserves with a dry, non-lingering bite. The finish is almost parching and I definitely wanted a full glass of a less dry wine or a sip of water.

With food?: I tried this wine without food.

Wine Tasting— Domaine de la Guicharde Côtes du Rhône 2011

Name: Domaine de la Guicharde Côtes du Rhône 2011

Variety: 65% Grenache & 35% Syrah

Region: Rhone, France

Country: France

Year: 2011

Price: $12.95

Winery Review: Very bright and exuberant, offering lots of violet, anise and blackberry aromas and flavors, with a good lacing of firm cherry pit keeping this honest through the finish. –88—Wine Spectator

My Review: This wine had a slightly chemical odor. This smelled like alcohol to me. However, this wine had an overall berry flavor. The taste was smooth and subtle. I didn’t get the anise, licorice flavor. I’m not sure I’d drink this wine again…

With food?: I tried this wine without food.

Wine Tasting—Vina Sastre Crianza Ribera del Duero

Name: Vina Sastre Ribera del Duero Crianza

Variety: Tempranillo

Region: Reibera del Duero, Spain

Country: Spain

Year: 2009

Price: $39 à $28.95

Winery Review: A complex, highly perfumed bouquet evokes red and dark berry preserves, incense and cola, along with a sexy floral nuance and a touch of cracked pepper. Juicy, sweet and expansive, offering vibrant cherry and blackberry flavors and a velvety texture. Finishes with impressive clarity and lift leaving a candied violet note behind—92 points—IWC

My Review: This was a BIG RED. Super full-bodied and delicious. I definitely tasted the berry tones. The slight bite had a peppery flavor and texture. I found this wine very multi-faceted. Lots of deep, dark berries. Some floral tones. Definite spice.  The winery review describes a velvety texture, however, I found the finish of this wine smooth as silk.

With food?: I had this wine on its own without food.

Wine Tasting—Angove Zibibbo Sparkling Moscato

Name: Angove Zibibbo Sparkling Moscato

Variety: 100% Zibibbo (Moscato Grape)

Region: South Australia

Country: Australia

Year: (no year provided)

Price: $15 à $7.95

Winery Review: This is a tasty and generous Moscato that opens with plush aromas of honey, peach syrup, white flower and fragrant exotic fruit. There’s a nice sensation of fullness and creaminess in the mouth that is backed by the foamy effervescence if this sparkling dessert wine.

My Review: This sparkling Moscato smelled incredibly sweet. The alcohol in it was very well integrated and was hidden within the fruity, peachy, sugar, apple aroma. It tasted much like non-alcoholic sparkling apple cider. This wine was acidic and honeysuckle sweet. I could taste peach cobbler on the mid-palate. This wine had a clean palate and bright finish.

With food?: I tasted this wine without food.

Wine Tasting—Fetzer Malbec

Name: Fetzer Malbec 2011

Variety: 100% Malbec

Region: Mendoza, Argentina

Country: Argentina

Year: 2011

Price: $15 à $7.95

Winery Review: Delicious Malbec is 100% from Mendoza, Argentina. It has a vibrant red color with violet tones. Subtle and delicious aromas with an intense mixture of red fruits, plum and cherry jam. On the palate it’s juicy and has intense wood-like tannins that make it a rustic, yet versatile wine. Long finish.

My Review: This Malbec was a ruddy red color and smelled creamy and smooth. I got a whiff of something floral, maybe violets and roses. I tasted cherries and plum. It was slightly jammy, almost sweet. The deep tannin profile was pleasant and it had a long, lingering finish.

With food?: I tried this wine on its own without food.

Wine Tasting—Tres Ojos Garnacha

Name: 2011 Tres Ojos, Old Vine Garnacha, Tinto, Talatayud

Variety: 85% Old Vine Garnacha, 7% Cabernet Sauvignon, 7% Tempranillo and 1% Syrah

Region: Calatayud, Spain

Country: Spain

Year: 2011

Price:$6.95

Winery Review: (the Vintage Cellar gave us the review/tasting notes from the 2011 Delaroche Côtes du Rhône Rouge: This semi-opaque ruby, custom cuvée of 50% Syrah, 40% Grenache and 10% Mourvedre is made specifically for Fran Kysela. It exhibits very fresh, ripe dark red fruit with very good palate weight and depth and ends with rich fruit notes. Made from organically grown grapes. Incredible value!—90 points—I-WineReview)

Wine Enthusiast’s review: With a hint of rubber and asphalt, the bouquet on this value wine is generous and topped with blackberry and dark plum aromas. The palate is grabby, with clampy tannins and black-fruit flavors mixed with chocolate and spice. The earthy, lightly herbal finish with rubbery nuances is nice.– 89+ points— M.S., Wine Enthusiast

My Review: The semi-opaque ruby color of this wine speaks to its not quite full-bodied flavor. At first it smelled fruity, surprisingly bright for a red wine. I was undecided on this wine. I’m not usually a red wine fan, but this one was weird. I enjoyed the blueberry and plum flavors. This wine was very confusing. It is complex and had a sort-of smoked meat tone on the mid-palate. This wine was dry and a long, lingering finish.

With food?: I tasted this wine without food.

Wine Tasting—The Royal Old Vines Chenin Blanc

Name: The Royal Old Vines Chenin Blanc

Variety: %100 Chenin Blanc

Region: Cape Province, Western Cape, South Africa

Country: South Africa

Year: 2012

Price: $7.95

Winery Review: One of the greatest buys I have tasted this year is this under $10, 100% Chenin Blanc from the Western Cape. A super flowery-scented nose includes notions of ripe honeydew melons and pears. This medium-weight, fresh, fruity, crisp, dry, textbook Chenin Blanc will provide immense pleasure over the next 12 months. –90 points—Robert Parker

My Review: This wine was almost colorless, bright and clear. Its initial smell was fruity and sweetly floral. It tasted very much of honeysuckle nectar and honeydew melon. There was a dusty undertone to this wine that was surprisingly pleasant. This wine was rather dry. There was a very low tannic finish with a crisp and clean profile. I really enjoyed this wine.

With food?: I tasted this wine on its own without food.

Wine Tasting—Norton Sauvignon Blanc

Name: Bodega Norton Sauvignon Blanc 2012

Variety: 100% Sauvignon Blanc

Region: Cuyo, Mendoza, Argentina

Country: Argentina

Year: 2012

Price: $12.00 à $5.95

Winery Review: Aromas of pithy citrus and pineapple are decent but unrefined, while flavors of tangerine and pineapple are tropical, zesty and what they are. This is nothing more than a fresh, simple, citrusy white to sip on the patio.

My Review: My first olfactory impression of this wine was that it was cream-sicle-y. There was a slight citrus aroma. This wine wasn’t incredibly sweet, actually rather dry. It had a crispy, acidic finish and didn’t linger on the palate. This wine was not incredibly complex. Its tropical flavors were not very memorable. This wine cleansed the palate and got me ready for the next wines I’d taste.

With food?: I tried this wine without food.